RAPAPORT... Sales and profit slumped at Indian diamond manufacturer
Asian Star in the second fiscal quarter as weak rough demand prompted it to reduce
its trading activities.

The Mumbai-based company supplements its core cutting
business by reselling rough through its subsidiaries, Pranav Kapadia, Asian
Star’s chief manager for accounts and tax, explained to Rapaport News
Monday. Revenue from that segment declined during the three months ending
September 30 due to pressure on the manufacturing sector, he added.

As a result, group revenue fell 27% year on year to INR
7.98 billion ($111.2 million) in the three-month period, while net profit
dropped 66% to INR 130.8 million ($1.8 million), the company reported in a
statement last week. Excluding subsidiaries, revenue slipped 5% to INR 6.67
billion ($92.8 million), while profit declined 16% to $1.3 million (INR 94.7 million), reflecting a more moderate
slowdown in its diamond- and jewelry-manufacturing operation.

“Demand has been slow because of a lot of inventory in
the pipeline,” Kapadia said. “Manufacturing was low, so the rough-trading
opportunities were very minimal. The opportunities that were available were not
that profitable. If you look at our manufacturing business, which is our core
business, that has done [relatively] well.”

Results are likely to improve in the coming months as
inventory levels have stabilized, Kapadia added. The company, a sightholder
focusing on smaller goods, has continued to buy from De Beers and other miners
at normal rates, instead reducing its supply from the open market, he continued.
Manufacturing margins have been stable versus a year ago, as the company chose
to walk away from deals rather than compromise on profitability, he reported.